Living up to it

Talk by Sant Kirpal Singh on the evening of January 25, 1964 – Washington, D.C.

Sant Kirpal Singh: If you would like to have questions, that would be better. Any of you? (There is a long pause.) What appealed to you about the talk which was given you this evening?

Comment: Fellowship with one another.

Sant Kirpal Singh: Oh, that is the first thing, naturally.

Comment: The great love of God for His devotees.

Comment: I liked the great love for his Master. (Long pause.)

Question: Master, is there an appointed time under divine law when a seeking disciple is led to the Master?

Sant Kirpal Singh: Yes – appointed.

Question: For instance, you think that so many have been searching most of their lives, and studying and searching, trying to understand spiritual realization, and then all of a sudden, are led to a great Being to have that realization awakened within them; but they have spent perhaps half their life just searching and searching.

Sant Kirpal Singh: The time spent in searching is counted. Our Master always used to say: "Let your whole life be spent in searching; don't be afraid of it." Whoever is really in search of a true Master, he gets a true Master. It is a life-and-death problem. To just surrender your soul to somebody! When you surrender, you become the Master, mind that. Take the example of a girl who is given away in marriage to her husband. In the West, it has now become more of a business – excuse me; but in India, once a girl is married, she never cares about how she will eat, where she will get her clothes from – nothing; she never dreams of it. When you give up everything to someone, he has to care for you. So when you surrender yourself to somebody, well, he is there.

It is told of Father Abraham that he went to a bazaar and purchased a slave. That was the custom in those days. He brought him home. He said to the slave, "All right, sit down," and asked him, "Where will you sit?" The slave said, "Wherever you want me to sit." "What will you eat?" "Whatever you give me to eat." "What clothes do you require?" "Whatever you like." Then Father Abraham heaved a long sigh: "O God, he's better than I. When he becomes somebody's, he has no choice left whatsoever – no desire." When you surrender everything to God and the God-in-man, where is the question of there being any desire left? He freed him: "Go! I must become such a slave of God."

The time spent in searching is good: because those who have entered the field of intellect must be satisfied about the whys and wherefores of things. Otherwise, even if they take up the way, they won't progress; because the questions will keep rising up within them. First, search. And when you sit at the feet of Someone, stop all searching; stop all your mind's ramifications; stop everything else. Go on with what he wants you to do. Do it! He never wants you to leave your homes or anything; he wants you to lead a certain way of life, that's all.

We say so much, but we do not live up to it. "An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of theories." I think each one of you knows so much. If anyone of you were asked to give a talk, you would give a wonderful talk; for we say, "Love all, hate none." Yet how many are there who do not hate anyone? Saying something is one thing; living it is something else.

Even if you take one item and live up to it, you will change. All other things will come in – all virtues. First, take the outside thing: suppose you observe non-violence. Then, you'll have to control your tongue, first; you'll have to control your thoughts (thoughts are potent – they react); you wouldn't like to usurp any man's rights; you will not disrespect anyone; you will have love for all – naturally, that follows. So, naturally, when you don't want to harm anybody, even in mind, word and deed, you will never tell lies. Why do you tell lies? In order to tell lies, a man must have a very good memory. (Laughter.) Surely! If you tell lies, you will tell one man something, another something else, and a third still something else. And you must always be watching out: "Well, what did I tell him?" Just leave it, I tell you. If someone who has told a lie comes to you, listen to him; you'll find that after he's told it, he'll say still something else again. All the time, he's afraid lest his lie be found out. So, if you follow him quietly, say for a month or two or three, you will find that he will be saying different things, because he has a bad memory.

So if you have love, you won't tell lies; you won't hate anybody. Non-violence means not hating anyone. If you tell the truth – observe truthfulness – other things will follow. Suppose you have done anything wrong. If anybody asks you, "What have you done?" and you tell the truth, then the cat will be out of the bag. You won't tell lies. Have you thought anything against someone? If you talk to somebody against someone, naturally that goes around. A secret is a secret only so far as it remains within your own breast. If you tell it to some other person – your dear friend – well, he also has dear friends. (Laughter)

Take any one virtue; others will follow. If you come in contact with the Sound Principle, the Light Principle, within you, all virtues will come to you. Swami Ji (Shiv Dayal Singh) tells us: "Those who are thieves – those who do not devote time to the practices – always fall into the passions of lust, greed, anger and egotism." These things naturally come up. And the more you come in contact with that inner Sound and Light, the more all virtues will come up. Guru Nanak says, "If you begin to hear the Sound Principle continuously, you will become the abode of all virtues." One is interlinked with the other. Some people bring me their diaries, and they are very good diaries on the face of it; they also show some time put in for meditation. And their progress is not what it should be. I simply tell them, "Dear friend, if your diary is correct, you should have gone to the third plane." We must be true to our own selves. You can deceive others – not the God in you; not the God Power or the Christ Power which is within you. Be true to your own self: you have nothing to fear.

So purity of life is required. You should start something; do something! And if you love, all things will also follow. Love is no sanctioned love; it is charity – love for God, love for all, for the God in them. Try to live up to it, that's all. This is the main thing that is required.

How should you treat others? What should be your conduct of life? In one word, what is it?

Someone once went to Vyas, who was a great rishi, and asked him, "That which is called dharma – what should be the conduct of life that accrues peace and happiness?" And he said, "Look here. Treat others as you would like to be treated by others."

If you speak ill of others, how would you feel if anyone spoke ill of you? If you rob others, think that if he is robbing you, how you would take it. This was what Christ also said. Whenever you are about to do anything, think anything or say anything, first think: if this very thing was going to be meted out to me, what would I do? How would you feel about it? Would you like it? I don't think so.

So the conduct of life has to be changed. This is what is called true living; this is a criterion for it. We can deceive everybody, but we cannot deceive God. When a man lives one hundred per cent up to what the Master says – that is, to the God in him – I think he is sure to change. Of course, the disciple should not be in a hurry to go up; but if the Master is also inclined to take him up, then, that's the way, that's all.

It is God's grace that you get something to start with, the very first day of initiation – any average person gets it, even children. What greater grace could there be? Live up to it. What does it cost? We are so devoted to the worldly things that we have never cared for our own spiritual health. But when you have to leave this world – a notice comes to clear out of Washington (where the Master is now speaking) by tomorrow morning at six or by twelve midnight – then what will you do?

Once there lived someone named Valmik. He was a dacoit, a very well-known robber. A saint passed by; he looked at him. His job was to plunder a man of everything he had, even to taking away his clothes and killing him. When Valmik saw the saint, he said, "All right, what have you got?" The saint said to him, "Why are you doing this, dear friend?" "I have to live on it. My family is dependent on me; I have to earn money somehow or other." "All right," the saint told him. "Look here. This is a sin that you are doing. Go home. Kindly ask your wife and children if they would share this sin with you that you are now committing." He was a very active man and said, "If I go home, you will run away." You see, each man has to see from his own level of thinking. "No, dear friend, I won't go away; tie me to a tree, and then go home and inquire of your wife and children whether they would share this sin with you that you are committing." It appealed to him. He thought, "All right, I'll tie him up." He tied the saint to a tree, went home, and said, "Look here, I plunder everyone and kill them to bring home money and maintain you. It is a sin. Would you share this sin with me?" His wife said, "Well, why should I share it? I have to eat. Bring it to me in whatever way you can get it." Then he went to the children and asked them the same thing. Nobody was going to share the sin with him. He came back. The saint asked, "What did you find the replies to be?" He said, "Nobody is going to share with me the sin I am committing daily." Then he awakened his soul. "Whatever is the sin I have committed, they eat; everyone uses it; I am only after two loaves of bread. Then why should I commit a sin?"

He refrained from it, and later on he became Valmik, a rishi – he turned out to be a rishi. When he sat in samadhi, ants formed houses all over his body. So the name Valmik means, "little people's homes on the body."

If we think that what we earn is not rightly earned and we are committing a sin, then leave it off. If you have simple lives, you will not have to commit sin or do anything like that.

Our Master (Baba Sawan Singh Ji) used to go to Baba Kahan, the very same man I mentioned yesterday. When he went there, he always gave Baba Kahan some ten dollars, or ten rupees. One time when Master was in the field area, he earned much money. He had a good amount of money, and when he went there he gave him the same ten rupees. Baba Kahan told him, "Look here, you have earned so much money, and you are giving me only ten? Haven't you got any more money?" "Yes, I earned some more." "All right. I want much more." The Master told him, "You've become greedy." And what did Baba Kahan say? "No, no. You see, if you leave it there, someone else will take it away. I'm not to use it. My purpose in doing it is this: whenever you are doing your duty, you are not doing it very honestly; sometimes you waste a few minutes – sometimes in talking or gossiping about something. Whatever you have not been very honest in doing as your duty, that percentage should be taken out of your income and must be spent for the good of others – to give to the poor, to the needy – so that your income will be all pure."

So earn your money, stand on your own legs and share with others; but this is not everything. The main thing is that your spiritual self should be pure. After all, everything will remain here, whether you have hundreds or thousands or millions of dollars. Of course, the way you have earned the money, that will go along with you. That concerns actions and reactions. So the conduct of life should be changed. Unless that is changed, even if you have the truth, nobody will care for you. People judge by the way you live.

(Master indicates Madame Hardevi (Tai Ji).) Her husband was a president of the Arya Samaj movement. He was very strict, and everybody was afraid of talking to him – very strict; he would not spare anybody. Whenever he came to us, we were all afraid lest we should say something that would bring his wrath upon us. Well, he was initiated by our Master. What was he doing? All throughout the night he was sitting, doing meditation – in the daytime, at work; at night doing that. He changed altogether. To the people who were afraid of him, he became very sympathetic, loving; giving to the poor; sharing with others; all for the good cause. When our Master went to, perhaps, Rawalpindi, many people came to him for initiation. Master said, "Have you heard any talks?" They said, "No. No, we have not heard any talks – nothing of that sort."

"What have you seen?"

"We have seen that man who was made a man by coming to your feet."

So, example appeals to all of us. Why are our satsangs defamed? We are responsible. Where there is love, there is love and sacrifice and service for one another. At least, if you live in an all-loving way, that will appeal to others – they'll run after you. You may have the very high teachings, but if your life does not bear them out, then of what use are they? An example is better than a precept. In the early Sikh times, if any follower of the Sikh religion went to the court of the Mohammedans and said something, they would say, "A Sikh can never tell a lie." Similarly was the case with our Master. In the beginning it was known to the courts that whoever went to him did not tell a lie.

So, life appeals to everyone. For instance, you are coming here; and if you are chaste, you are loving, you don't think evil of others, you don't rob others' rights, you are of help to others and, if need be, you sacrifice your interest for others, then naturally everyone will say: "What are you? Where are you going? To what person do you go?" One life is an advertisement, broadcasting to all others. So, the life is required. Our hearts should be pure: no ill-will for anyone; no usurpation; no domination; always giving, sacrificing, without any consideration. If you do good to others, and they do good to you, what is that? It is a business. If others don't do you good, and you still do them good – that is what is wanted.

I told you, I think in this evening's talk, that there was a group of people preaching against our Master, directly beside him, and they were very hard up, for they could not manage to get anything to eat and drink. And those that attended were about one or two hundred people. He knew they were preaching against him. With all that, he said, "Well, dear friends, you are having trouble getting your food; everything here is ready; you can have your food here morning and evening."

These are the ways that bring us closer. If somebody does you good and you do him good, what is that? That is but natural; it is business-like.

It is told of Prophet Moses that some stranger came to him. It is a law among the Mohammedans, a custom, that when you eat food, never eat it alone. Call somebody – anybody who is not eating food. The law mentioned, "Go up to the roof and call out, 'If any man has not taken food, let him come up.'" So a man came to him; the food was served; and he began to eat. And Moses very much resented it. He told the man, "Why don't you pray to God first and then eat?" He said to the man, "Get out!"It is said that God inspired him and told him: "Well, Moses; he did not pray to God, yet I gave him food; why did you resent it?"

If you are business-like, where lies the superiority in you? Do unto others in a selfless way. If anyone does not love you, you begin to love him. Don't do anything to harm him; act in a friendly way – that will wash it away.

These are very minor things, I tell you, but they have a great effect on our meditations. The diaries were introduced with some purpose – to meet with the times. But if one does not live up to it, then it is his own misfortune. When I started this under the orders of my Master (you see, all people are getting experiences), they said, "Oh, he's falling; he's distributing this spirituality, and he'll be lost; he'll become bankrupt.'' I told them, "Well, if it is mine, I will become bankrupt; and if it is my Master's, then how can I?"

Our Master used to say, "I can't find any man who can distribute freely." If someone is in charge of a store for distribution, the duty of that man is to give out to whoever needs it. But what results? You give something to those who respect you; to those who don't respect you, you say, "Oh, stay away!" You'll try not to give them anything.

These are very minor things, I tell you; yet you'll find them almost everywhere in our daily life. If you have love for others, you'll tell the truth. If you tell the truth, you won't need a good memory, because you'll say the same thing that you see. So, these little daily dyings spoil our life, not only by an act of commission, but even by thinking. Thoughts are potent.

These are no new things that I'm telling you. I think each one of you knows them; this is perhaps only a reminder. The more you live up to it, the more you will progress.

Try to live up to what you are told; in a few words, that's all I would say. And love is a panacea for all ills. Your lives will change. Those who will come in contact with you will praise you – not you, but the movement, or the place where you go. That is true advertisement.